Halifax’s new logo mistakenly used for pro-Israel rally

City hall says it’s not associated with a pro-Israel rally in Halifax on Wednesday, even though the municipality’s new letterhead is at the top of a press release promoting the event.

The notice to news media from the Atlantic Jewish Council used the upper-case logo for Halifax in error, a spokesman for the council says.

A heading on the release says HALIFAX Stands with Israel — the Israeli flag is positioned in place of the word Israel.

City spokesman Brendan Elliott said the use of the new logo — the result of a controversial, publicly funded branding exercise enacted by the municipality — was an honest mistake on the part of the council.

He acknowledged the council hadn’t reached out to city hall prior to the release being issued. Elliott said a senior official has apologized to the municipality for the name’s unauthorized use.

“We would encourage anyone who wants to use our new logo to contact us first,” Elliott said.

Jon Goldberg, the council’s executive director, told The Chronicle Herald the slip-up on his organization’s release originated with a staffer.

“It was an innocent mistake,” he said in an email.

“One of my staff found the logo online and used it,” Goldberg said. “We had no idea of the limitations and I have yet to see a trademark next to it.”

The event in Halifax — “an evening of solidarity and hope for Israel” — is linked to the fighting in Gaza in the Middle East. Last week, a rally and protest organized by Students Against Israeli Apartheid at Dalhousie University, called for the end of attacks on Palestinians.